Craig hails impact of Neal

Craig Tanner has spoken in glowing terms about the guidance he received from Neal Ardley and key players in Wimbledon’s squad during his loan spell.

that playing in League 2 had put him on the right track for a bright future in the game.official websiteFollowing a 19-game loan stint with AFC Wimbledon, Tanner is back with the Royals and he told Reading FC’s

“Neal Ardley was superb. He always had time for people. He understood that different players needed different things. He taught me a lot; told me where I needed to improve, but also where I was good and how I could use my strengths in a match situation. After the loan, he phoned me and asked how I thought I’d done. He gave me some good advice and told me what I did well and what I needed to improve upon.

“Playing up front with an experienced striker (Bayo Akinfenwa) who gave me a lot of tips was great. It was nice to play with a target man, which I haven’t really done before, and to fulfil different roles within a team, play in different positions, and adapt my game. Bayo is a really down to earth person and I was surprised how open he was towards me. I enjoyed every moment of playing alongside him and learned a lot from him.

“Other experienced players like Jack Smith and the captain Barry Fuller would speak to me about their views on what I should do as an up-and-coming player. The more feedback I could get from them, the better it was for me and hopefully I will get an opportunity to show the Reading fans the difference in my game next season.”